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Category: Benedictine

Ravens led 14-point lead slip away in NAIA opening round loss to Montana Western

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riggertBenedictine3The Benedictine men’s basketball team had its season come to an end Wednesday night in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.  The No. 16 Ravens lost their opener to 19th-ranked Montana Western 80-77 to end their season 24-9.

Benedictine raced out to a big lead as they used a 13-0 run and led 27-13 halfway through the first half.  BC and Montana Western traded baskets and then the Bulldogs went on an 18-2 run to take the lead and were ahead at halftime 43-39.

The Ravens took an early lead in the second half, 46-45, but then Montana Western used a 10-2 run to take the lead and they never gave it back.

BC fell behind by as many as ten points before battling back and they pulled to within one point, three different times but could never take the lead.

John Harris, Jr. led Benedictine with 17 points, while Connor Flemming added 13 points.

Montana Western’s Stephen McCall had a big night with 36 points as the Bulldogs improve to 23-9 and they advance to play No. 1 seed Hope International at 6:15 p.m. Friday night in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament.

Benedictine women defeat Wiley (TX) to advance to 2nd round of NAIA National Tournament

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BCINDEPENDENCE, Mo. – No. 4 seed Benedictine (Kan.) punches its ticket into the second round of the 2015 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball, presented by Susan G. Komen Greater Kansas City, with an 83-76 win against No. 5 seed Wiley (Texas) Monday evening at the Independence Events Center.

Benedictine, which is now scheduled to play at 12:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, awaits the winner of overall No. 1 seed Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) and No. 8 Cal State San Marcos. The Ravens are now 5-2 all-time in women’s basketball national championship first round action, including three wins while a member of Division II.

The two teams traded baskets over the course of the opening 10 minutes until Benedictine rattled off a 13-2 run to take a 36-26 lead with 4:15 left in the frame. The run was capped by a layup and free throw by Kristen Murphy – three of her seven points off the bench.

However, the lead would be short lived, as Wiley answered with a matching 13-2 run to take a 39-38 lead into the break. The deficit was the first time Benedictine had trailed at the half since falling behind Heart of America Athletic Conference rival MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Feb. 14.

In the second half, Benedictine stretched its lead to as many as 10 points four times in the second half, however each time the run was answered by Wiley.

A corner 3-pointer by the Raven’s Ali Taff – her only long range make in the game – appeared to be the dagger, giving Benedictine a 79-73 lead with 26 second remaining in regulation. However, Kayla Brown for Wiley banked in a 3-pointer of her own the pull the contest back within three and led the Wildcats to foul to attempt to keep the game alive. The Ravens were ready and converted all four free throw attempts to close the game.

Point in the paint were key for both teams, as the two sides combined for 112 points in the paint with 62 by Wiley and 50 from Benedictine.

As a team, Benedictine shot 50 percent (31-of-62) from the field for the game, including 57.7 percent (15-for-26) in the second half.

Chayla Rutledge led Benedictine with 17 points, 11 coming in the second half. She has now been in double figures in 16 of her last 17 games. Other notable scorers for the Ravens were Jackie Ziesel and Jayde Reid, who both finished with 14 points.

Wiley was dominant on the glass in the game, outrebounding Benedictine 45-36, including 21 offensive boards.

Four different Wildcats ended the game in double figures.

Wiley, which reached the semifinals a season ago, ends the year with a 22-5 record and falls to 4-4 all-time at the national championship

Every game of the 2015 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship is available live on the NAIA Network. For packages and pricing visit www.NAIANetwork.com.

GAME NOTES
Benedictine’s Chayla Rutledge has scored in double-digits in 16 of her last 17 games …Win improves the Ravens to 4-7 this season while trailing at the half … Since the start of the 2011-12 season – the beginning of head coach Courtney Garrett-Pruitt’s tenure – the Wildcats are 20-2 coming off a loss … There were a combined 112 points scored in the paint, including 62 from Wiley and 50 by Benedictine

— NAIA Press Release —

No. 16 Ravens to open NAIA Championships with Montana Western

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riggertBenedictine3KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hours after learning they finished the season at No. 16 in the NAIA, the Benedictine men’s basketball team learned their first-round opponent for the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Div. I Men’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday night.

Benedictine, who enters the tournament with an overall record of 24-8 will take on Montana Western in the first round of the Naismith Bracket of the NAIA Tournament.

Montana Western enters the tournament at 22-9 and was ranked No. 19 in the final NAIA Div. I Men’s Basketball Top 25 Coaches’ Poll on Wednesday afternoon.

They play in the Frontier Conference, and like Benedictine finished in second place in their conference. They finished their conference schedule with a 9-5 record. They lost out in their conference tournament as they fell to Lewis & Clark State College in the Frontier Conference Tournament Championship game.

Benedictine, after going 12-6 in the Heart, earned the conference’s host berth to the NAIA Tournament after Missouri Valley College took the Heart Tournament Championship berth.

The Ravens are one of three teams from the Heart to qualify for the tournament as Evangel University joins Benedictine and Missouri Valley in the 32-team field.

Benedictine is one of 18 repeat qualifiers from the 2014 tournament.

Montana Western plays in the same conference as Benedictine’s 2014 first-round opponent, Westminister (Utah) College.

Tickets for the tournament are available at www.NAIAhoops.com. Reserved seating is $15, general admission is $12, student tickets (ages 6 through 21) are $5 and children five and under are free.

— BC Sports Information —

Benedictine women will open with Wiley (TX) in NAIA Tournament

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riggertBenedictine3KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Benedictine women’s basketball team moved up to No. 19 earlier in the day on Wednesday and then learned of their opening-round opponent Wednesday night.

The Ravens will take on No. 14 Wiley (Texas) at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Independence Event Center in the first round of the 2015 NAIA Div. I Women’s Basketball Championship.

Benedictine, who enters tournament play with an overall record of 25-8, qualified for their second trip to the NAIA Tournament by way of earning the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament championship bid on Monday night.

Wiley is making their fourth appearance in the NAIA Tournament and enters the tournament with an overall record of 22-4. They qualified for this year’s tournament as the No. 5 at-large selection. The are from the Red River Athletic Conference where they 15-5 this season.

Benedictine is one of three teams from the Heart to earn a berth into the 32-team field. MNU earned the conference’s other automatic berth while Baker University recieved an at-large berth as well.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students, children 5-11 are $5 and five and under are free. Tickets are available through TicketMaster but will cost more than purchasing at the Independence Event Center on the day of the game.

— BC Sports Information —

Benedictine women knock off MidAmerica Nazarene to win HAAC Championship

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riggertBenedictine3OLATHE, Kan. – The No. 22-ranked Benedictine Women’s Basketball team sealed their automatic berth into the 2014 NAIA Div. I Women’s Basketball National Championship Tournament on Monday night with a 56-49 win over No. 12 MNU inside the Cook Center on the MNU campus.

Benedictine (24-8) jumped out quickly on MNU (26-5) and weathered a second-half comeback effort by the Pioneers to earn their first win over MNU since Feb. 11, 2012 when they earned a 52-48 win

While both teams in the title game were already headed for the Independence Event Center in Independence, Mo., for the NAIA Tournament next week, by winning the Heart Tournament Championship the Ravens earned the second bid to the tournament outright.

Despite a offensive drought for roughly six minutes from near the midpoint of the second half to 4:52 left in the game, the Ravens never trailed leading the Pioneers throughout.

Jackie Ziesel stepped up when the Ravens needed it.

She slowed the scoring drought with back-to-back jumpers to push Benedictine back up by six points with 3:26 remaining. Then after MNU answered that she hit her only 3-pointer of the night to push Benedictine back up by six again.

Ali Taff, Ziesel and Chayla Rutledge combined to go 4 for 6 from the free throw line over the final 45 seconds of the game to seal the win for Benedictine.

The win by Benedictine over MNU snapped a 14-game winning streak by the Pioneers and a postseason conference winning streak of 11 straight wins for MNU.

It also gave Benedictine its second Heart Tournament Championship under head coach Chad Folsom, the first since the 2005-2006 season when they beat MNU 51-48 inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

Defensively, Benedictine held MNU to a new season-low 49 points as they held the Pioneers to just 33.9 percent from the floor on the night.

Rutledge scored a game-high 15 points as she out-dueled fellow Heart first-team selection Daria Sprew. Sprew led the Pioneers with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

For Benedictine, Lexi Villegas added 12 points off the bench while Ziesel finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Ravens, who take a seven-game winning streak into the NAIA Tournament, now wait for the NAIA to release the official tournament qualifiers on Wednesday afternoon. Tournament pairings will be followed by the official bracket release via selection show at 7 p.m. on the NAIAnetwork.

— BC Sports Information —

Ravens avenge two losses to Central Methodist with win in Heart Quarterfinals

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BCThe Benedictine Men’s Basketball team opened up postseason play on Thursday night as they took on Central Methodist University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

Central Methodist (20-12) entered the game looking for their third straight win over Benedictine (24-7) but the Ravens had other plans as they used a 62.1 percent shooting effort in the second half to keep the Eagles at arm’s length and earn a 75-62 win.

The win moves the No. 2-seeded Ravens into the Heart of America Athletic Conference semifinals on Saturday night.

Benedictine struggled from the floor out the gate while CMU was able to build as much as a five-point lead inside the first four minutes of play.

Those five points proved to be CMU’s biggest lead of the game as Benedictine started to click offensively by the midpoint of the first half.

After the lead changed hands six times, a 3-pointer by Jonathan Anaekwe pushed the Ravens in front 18-16 with seven minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the first half. That shot sparked a 15-4 run that allowed Benedictine to pull ahead by as much as 13 before settling for a 33-28 lead at the break.

A 3-pointer by CMU’s Mitchell Farr pulled the game into its second tie at 37 points inside the first five minutes of the second half but Benedictine never gave up their advantage.

The Ravens outscored the Eagles 18-7 over the next five minutes as John Harris Jr. scored 16 of his game-high 31 points to spark Benedictine.

CMU didn’t go down without a fight as the pulled within six points three times inside the final nine minutes of play but they couldn’t find an answer for Benedictine’s second-half offensive outburst.

Brett Fisher and Jake Schannuth knocked in back-to-back 3-pointers to keep CMU from getting any closer than six points before Harris Jr. capped off his night with a break away dunk to push Benedictine ahead by 13 points with 90 seconds left in the game.

Benedictine outscored CMU 42-26 in the paint as Harris Jr. set a new single-game individual high with 14 field goals. Jallen Messersmith chipped in with 14 points, converting on 6 of 7 field goals while Anaekwe finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Ravens remain at home on Saturday as they host No. 3 seed Missouri Valley College back inside the Nolan Gymnasium at 7 p.m. The Ravens and the Vikings split the regular-season series successfully defending their respective home floors. Benedictine earned a 82-74 win in Atchison on Jan. 17 and then Valley earned a 77-76 win in Marshall, Mo., on Feb. 21.

— BC Sports Information —

Benedictine women defeat Peru State to advance to HAAC semifinals

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riggertBenedictine3The No. 22 Benedictine Women’s Basketball team used six first-half 3-pointers and converted on 91.7 percent from the charity stripe in the first half on Wednesday night to advance to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.

Benedictine (23-8) jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Peru State College (11-20) and never looked back as they picked up the 66-55 win over the Bobcats.

The win on Wednesday gave the Ravens three wins this season over Peru State College and sets up a rubber match with Baker University back inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on Friday night.

Chayla Rutledge, Jackie Ziesel and Kristen Murphy combined to score the first 13 points of the night for the Ravens with the second of back-to-back 3-pointers knocked in by Rutledge and Ziesel pushing Ziesel into the 1,000 point scoring club.

The Ravens led by as much as 16 points before the Bobcats closed within seven points with just over five minutes left in the half. Benedictine outscored Peru State 12-7 over the remainder of the first half to take a 12 point lead into halftime.

Peru State opened the second half with five straight points only to have Benedictine answer with 9-0 run that pushed their lead back to 16 with 16 minutes left in the game.

The Ravens committed 11 turnovers in the second half, which aided the Bobcats offense and allowed Peru State to pull within six points with seven minutes left in the game.

Benedictine outscored Peru State 13-4 over the next two minutes to push their lead back to 15 before the Bobcats scored the games final four points to give Benedictine the 11-point win.

Rutledge led the Ravens with a game-high 15 points while Ziesel was close behind with 14. Murphy narrowly missed out on a double-double as she led the Ravens with 11 rebounds while finishing with nine points.

The second-seeded Ravens host third-seeded Baker, who beat Graceland 82-65 on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. Friday night in the Nolan Gymnasium. The two schools split the regular-season series, winning on the opponents home floor. Benedictine earned a 77-73 win in Baldwin City on Jan. 8 while Baker earned a 63-57 win in Atchison on Feb. 12.

— BC Sports Information —

St. Joe native Jackie Ziesel becomes 17th player to score 1000 points at BC

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BCThe Benedictine faithful didn’t have to wait long on Wednesday night for Jackie Ziesel to become the 17th player in Raven Women’s Basketball  history to score 1,000 points in her career.

It took just two minutes and 36 seconds for Ziesel to get a standing ovation from the home crowd at Ralph Nolan Gymnasium after she connected from deep to join a prestigious group of Benedictine College athletes.

Ziesel entered the game with 998 career points after scoring 15 points in the regular-season finale on Saturday against Evangel. It was fitting that she reached her career milestone with a 3-pointer.

“I just had a big smile on my face,” Zeisel said. “I’m glad it was on a three and I could get it over with and get it out of my mind. Then I was just able to play, relax and have fun for the rest of the game.”

Ziesel came into the postseason with a team-high 41 3-pointers. With her two 3-pointers on Wednesday, she now has 146 career 3-pointers which has allowed her to move up to No. 7 on the Ravens Career 3-pointers list.

She made sure to leave her mark on the game Wednesday, finishing with 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting while grabbing six rebounds.

By accomplishing this goal it’s given her time to think about those who have helped her on this journey and how far she has come.

“My coaches, and my family have been with me for this entire time,” Zeisel said. “Starting with YMCA ball and traveling with AAU basketball, they’ve taken me everywhere across this country just to play basketball, the thing I love to do. If I didn’t have them following and supporting me and doing everything that they can possibly do for me to play college basketball, none of this would be possible.”

Ziesel and the Ravens return to action on Friday at 7 p.m. as they host a Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament Semifinal with Baker University.

— BC Sports Information —

Amanda Magee named Benedictine women’s lacrosse coach

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BCATCHISON, Kan. – Benedictine College Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer has announced the hiring of Amanda Magee to lead the newly-formed Women’s Lacrosse program.
“We are excited to have Amanda join the Raven Athletics family,” Gartenmayer said. “We look forward to what she will add to the Benedictine community and the leadership she will bring to our Women’s Lacrosse program in the future.”

Magee was an All-Region selection at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., in 2010. She was named to the All Commonwealth Coast Conference first team in 2009 and 2010 and also led NCAA Div. III in saves percentage in 2009 and 2010.

“When I saw the job posting, I was really excited about the chance to move to a part of the country where lacrosse is really starting to become more popular,” Magee said. “Then the opportunity to build my own program was also very exciting to me.”

Magee comes to Benedictine from NCAA Div. III Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., where she served as an assistant coach from September of 2011 through May of 2014.

As a former NCAA Div. III player and assistant coach, Magee believes the athletes that she’ll be recruiting to Benedictine will be very similar to those she played with and coached at the Div. III level.

“The NAIA and Div. III student-athlete is very similar,” Magee said. “They understand what it takes be be a success both on an off the field and have a broad understanding of what it means to be a student-athlete.”

In addition to serving as an assistant coach at Salve Regina, Magee also spent a year coaching high school girls lacrosse in Columbus, New Jersey.

Magee will arrive on campus in March and will begin to build the women’s program, which will begin play as a varsity sport in the Spring of 2016.

“We are excited to be able to add men’s and women’s lacrosse to our varsity lineup,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. “I think our students have enjoyed the sport at the club level and the growth of lacrosse in our region makes it a natural addition to the varsity offerings as we continue to add academic programs and grow as a well-rounded institution.”

— BC Sports Information —

Benedictine football announces huge 2015 recruiting class

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riggertBenedictineBenedictine College football coach Larry Wilcox released his initial list of 2015 signings on Wednesday.

The group of incoming athletes come from 12 states with one international signing.

“The Benedictine College football staff is pleased to announce the freshman class of 2015,” Coach Wilcox said. “These young men have had great high school careers, and we project that they will be an important factor in the future success of our program and sustaining the tradition of Raven football.

“We look forward to their time on our campus as students, athletes and leaders.”

This year’s group of incoming freshman are:

Levi Baker (OL/6’5/300/Atchison, KS/Atchison Community H.S.)
John Becker (QB/6’1/195/Haysville, KS/Wichita Campus)
Andrew Beckman (OL/6’0/250/Ventura, CA/Ventura H.S.)
Calieb Bennett (WR/6’1/200/Odessa, MO/Odessa H.S.)
Mitchell Capra (LB/5’11/200/Nixa, MO/Nixa H.S.)
Dalton Cole (FB/5’11/215/Azle, TX/Azle H.S.)
Devin Cott (RB/5’10/180/Marshall, MO/Marshall H.S.)
Drew Cottrill (LB/SS/6’0/198/Albany, MO/Albany High School)
Michael Crosby (LB/6’0/195/Osage Beach, MO/School of the Osage)
Austin Deeds (K/6’1/195/Ozark, MO/Ozark H.S.)
Rafael Diaz (K/6’0/180/Atchison, KS/Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Camryn Dozier (WR/6’2/165/Houston, TX/Northland Christian H.S.)
Matt Durnford (FB/5’11/190/Northglenn, CO/Holy Family H.S.)
Tryston Ellison (DB/5’11/175/Republic, MO/Republic H.S.)
Blake Fanning (OLB/6’2/190/Springfield, MO/Republic H.S.)
Kameron Flournoy (FB/LB/5’10/210/Houston, TX/Northland Christian H.S.)
Brighton Gibbs (CB/KR/5’11/170/Keystone Heights,FL/Keystone Heights H.S.)
Matt Golenzer (OL/6’3/270/Littleton, CO/Mullen H.S.)
Zack Hammond (QB/ATH/6’0/182/Monett, MO/Monett H.S.)
Maquel Harbin (DB/6’1/160/Webb City, MO/Webb City H.S.)
Donovan Harns (OL/5’10/290/Joplin, MO/Joplin H.S.)
Logan Harris (WR/6’1/195/Marshall, MO/Marshall H.S.)
Tim Harris (RB/5’7/181/Mountain House, CA/Livermore H.S.)
Nate Hays (WR/6’0/150/Kansas City, KS/Piper H.S.)
Haden Heatherley (OL/6’1/270/Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian H.S.)
Carl Hecht (QB/6’5/210/McLouth, KS/Tonganoxie H.S.)
Brad Hines (TE/6’1/205/Lebanon, OH/Fenwick H.S.)
Charlie Holguin (OL/6’0/270/El Paso, TX/East Lake High School)
Tyler Jenkins (FS/6’3/190/Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley H.S.)
Terrell Johnson (DL/6’1/280/Aurora, CO/Mullen H.S.)
Sharod Jones (DB/6’0/170/Greenville, FL/Madison County H.S.)
Kyle Jordan (LB/6’1/210/Naperville, IL/Marmion Academy)
Max Kasap (RB/5’9/180/Earlham, IA/Dowling Catholic H.S.)
Josh MacKay (LB/6’2/218/Georgetown, TX/St. Dominic Savio)
Tanner McClaran (WR/TE/6’1/200/Kansas City, MO/Park Hill South H.S.)
Stephen McClernon (QB/5’11/175/Edmond, OK/Edmond North H.S.)
Ryley Meye, (OL/6’3/280/Morrowville, KS/Washington County H.S.)
Chase Miller (QB/6’3/190/Olathe, KS/Olathe East H.S.)
Matt Miller (WR/KR/5’11/175/Dallas, TX/Dallas Jesuit H.S.)
Devyn Molett (CB/6’0/175/Kirkwood, MO/St. John Vianney H.S.)
Samuel Moller (OL/DL/6’1/270/Upsalla, Sweden/Celsiusskolan Uppsala H.S.)
Benjamin Noel (OL/6’2/240/Marshfield, MO/Marshfield H.S.)
Trent Parra (WR/5’10/160/Webb City, MO/Webb City H.S.)
Spencer Peterson (LB/5’10/225/St. Louis, MO/St. John Vianney H.S.)
Zach Philipp (QB/6’3/215/Petersburg, MI/Summerfield H.S.)
Matthew Piper (LB/6’1/195/Cedar Park, TX/Vista Ridge H.S.)
Wyatt Porter (OLB/6’1/190/Ozark, MO/Ozark H.S.)
Austin Riley (QB/5’11/160/Lake Ozark, MO/School of the Osage)
DJ Robinson (OL/6’4/275/Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest H.S.)
Alexander Rolfes (FS/6’0/180/Arlington, TX/Arlington H.S.)
Reece Rutledge (DE/6’0/205/Stockton, MO/Stockton H.S.)
Collin Samuelson (WR/6’3/185/Lake Ozark, MO/School of the Osage)
Tucker Schlesener (DE/6’1/240/Harrisonville, MO/Harrisonville H.S.)
Shaefer Schuetz (QB/6’0/200/Kansas City, MO/Park Hill South H.S.)
Andrew Scott (WR/6’2/180/Joplin, MO/Carthage H.S.)
Tyler Shephard (LB/6’0/210/Chicago, IL/Hales Franciscan)
Cody Sisson (LB/6’0/210/Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley H.S.)
Jake Smith (QB/6’0/185/Republic, MO/Republic H.S.)
Jared Sommers (OLB/SS/5’11/180/Tonganoxie, KS/Tonganoxie H.S.)
Jack Springer (OL/6’2/275/Tacoma, WA/Woodrow Wilson H.S.)
Vince Stephenson (FS/5’11/185/Roeland Park, KS/Bishop Miege H.S.)
Jake Thies (OL/6’2/260/Lenexa, KS/St. James Academy)
Micah Tinsman (ATH/6’1/235/Ozark, MO/Ozark H.S.)
Kyle Tomc (TE/LB/6’2/200/Kansas City, MO/Liberty H.S.)
Jake Ulmer (WR/6’2/205/Osage Beach, MO/School of the Osage)
Jacob Wise (CB/5’10/170/Camdenton, MO/Camdenton R-III H.S.)
Luke Wozny (LB/6’0/220/Carrollton, MO/Carrollton H.S.)
Andrew Zubia (K/6’0/170/El Paso, TX/Franklin H.S.)

Benedictine finished in a tie for third in the Heart of America Athletic Conference during the fall of 2014 while finishing at No. 25 in the final NAIA Top 25 Football Coaches’ Poll.

They open the 2015 season at home on Aug. 29 against Evangel University at 1 p.m. on O’Malley Field at Larry Wilcox Stadium on the Benedictine campus.

— BC Sports Information —

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